Nature - Emerson

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Emerson begins this paragraph by stating that most people do not really see nature for what it is. They see only the superficial aspects, and for its most basic use. In the quote, "the lover of nature is he whose inward and outward senses are still truly adjusted to each other; who has retained the spirit of infancy even into the era of manhood," Emerson is describing someone who can really see and understand nature. Nature requires imagination, and many people lose much of that imagination as they age. Therefore, the only people who can really understand nature are those who have maintained a youthful spirit, and not allowed a loss of innocence to taint their creativity. Emerson claims that to these people nature does not cease to amaze and inspire. In the quote, "every hour and change corresponds to and authorizes a different state of the mind," Emerson discusses the bond between nature and the human spirit. Nature and the mind effect each other greatly, and find mirrors of themselves in whatever they see. Emerson also claims that nature itself does not only seem special. It can seem basic or ugly, but the fact that it is nature and shared by people is what makes it special. Emerson also claims that when one is with nature, they become "transparent." Nature takes you away from yourself while revealing your true inner nature.

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Emerson claims that since the commodity uses of nature are so plentiful, they do not have to be discussed in much depth. He knows how obvious the generally and physically useful aspects of nature are, and that in most cases they supply an even greater good. He closes this paragraph and section of the essay with the quote, "A man is fed, not that he may be fed, but that he may work." This quote is significant because it implores man to not take nature for granted. Nature provides what it does to man so man in exchange works for nature. This is the symbiotic relationship in which man and nature work is especially significant in this quote.

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Emerson claims that the greatest thing nature achieves is it's connections with man. Nature and man have a symbiotic relationship in this sense, and take note of each other's presence. This relationship between man and nature is important because it can help someone better him/herself. This is seen in the quote, "Its effect is like that of a higher thought or a better emotion coming over me, when I deemed I was thinking justly or doing right."

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Emerson is saying that to be solitary, one must fully retreat from both himself and society. He is saying that even when people are alone, they are not always in solitude. Solitude is when there is no other societal interaction, meaning that reading and writing are not solitary activities. Emerson states this in the quote, "I am not solitary whilst I read and write, though nobody is with me." Emerson proceeds to claim that when men are alone, they should simply look to the stars. The stars show mankind that there is much more out there than their own world. He gives the stars an interesting description through the quote, "to give man, in the heavenly bodies, the perpetual presence of the sublime." He is claiming that stars teach man that there is something greater in the universe, challenging the reader to think about the significance of their own life. Later in the passage, Emerson says, "If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how men would believe and adore." This statement shows how people no longer take the time to appreciate the stars. The stars are something humans take for granted, and he is using the example of the stars to show how people take many things for granted simply because they are always around.

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In the beginning of this paragraph, Emerson acknowledges that it is not only nature that has this profound impact on the world, but in fact the relationship between mankind and nature that makes it so special. This is seen in the quote, "the power to produce this delight, does not reside in nature, but in man, or in a harmony of both." Emerson also makes the point that nature is every changing, just like human emotions. One day nature can be beautiful and sunny, but the next a storm can roll in and everything will change. This is because nature reflects what someone sees in it. In the quote, "Nature always wears the colors of the spirit," Emerson is making his point through the use of the word "colors." What different people see in nature all relies on their experience and their interactions with the natural world.

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In the first line of this paragraph, Emerson claims that the stars will always be awe-inspiring because while they are always there, they can never really be reached. No human has reached the stars, and no one will in at least the near future. This whole idea that something can always be seen and never touched is challenging to our very human nature, since it is in this human nature to question and try to learn everything possible about the world around us. It is also in our human nature to want or desire many things. The stars in this scenario remind mankind that there will always be something completely unattainable, but that that is alright. As a human culture, we accept that we can not obtain the stars because nature holds a certain "kindred impression." Emerson claims that "nature never wears a mean appearance." Through this quote, Emerson is saying that nature cannot do anything truly bad, and that it holds a certain innocence. With its innocence, nature holds ambiguity. No one, not even the greatest scientist, will ever know everything about nature. That is something that greatly contributes to its beauty, and in a sense, its simplicity.

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In this paragraph, Emerson begins to discuss commodities, or things that are commercially useful. He claims that the commodities of nature are the things which are useful to the soul. This is the experience nature provides people, and the comfort and solitude one might feel in nature. In the quote, "The misery of man appears like childish petulance, when we explore the steady and prodigal provision that has been made Note for his support and delight on this green ball which floats him through the heavens," Emerson is discussing how the trials of man are unimportant when one thinks of how much bigger the rest of the world is. Man's troubles seem childish and annoying when juxtaposed with the grand importance of earth and nature. Emerson also discusses how mystical it is that such nature exists. He wonders how something could be so powerful to make something as wonderful as nature.

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In this paragraph, Emerson discusses how man has taken the gifts of nature and with industrial achievement used them to benefit further. Man must no longer cede to all aspects of nature, but can use it to accomplish a goal. An example from this paragraph is the steamship. The steamship no longer relies on the power of wind, but of other gifts of nature to accomplish the task of transportation. Through this use of nature, the world has changed completely. This is seen in the quote, "how is the face of the world changed, from the era of Noah to that of Napoleon!" Over the centuries the world has become a far more advanced place due to technological advances through nature.

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In this paragraph, Emerson discusses more ways in which nature is beneficial to man-kind. Nature helps man survive by providing food and an environment. Emerson claims that all aspects of nature, including the water cycle, exist for the benefit of man. This is seen in the quote, "All the parts incessantly work into each other's hands for the profit of man." Everything in nature exists for a reason. According to Emerson, nothing is coincidental, especially nature.

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In this paragraph, Emerson discusses the difference in which many people see nature. Nature relies heavily on one's own interaction with it, and spiritual believes reflect themselves on nature and vice versa. Emerson also differentiates between an ordinary man and a poet. A poet sees the beauty in nature and appreciates the many different things it is and represents, but an ordinary man only sees nature for how it will benefit him.